This invention relates generally to athletic shoes having cleated soles, and in particular to athletic shoes in which the cleats are axially notched.
Cleats are provided on athletic shoes to provide improved traction, usually on natural surfaces. The prior art teaches various examples of cleat arrangements on the sole of athletic shoes. U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,750 to Bowerman, teaches an athletic shoe having a sole with integrally molded resilient studs or cleats. U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,950, to Taber teaches a shoe with a sole having a large number of small closely spaced cylindrical or conical cleats.
While the cleated shoes taught in the prior art provide greater traction on natural surfaces than uncleated shoes, their performance is nonetheless limited by the degree of "ground penetration" achieved by the cleats.